Enhancing the Seismic Response of Buildings with Energy Dissipation Methods - An Overview

In recent years many seismic protection systems have been developed to reduce the effects of the devastating wind and seismic loads. For this purpose, greater attention has been directed towards the use of passive energy dissipaters, base isolators, active and hybrid control systems. This paper reviews the existing energy dissipation systems that can be adopted to minimize the amount of damage and response of the structure during extreme dynamic loads. Based on the review, it is observed that passive systems such as tuned mass dampers, friction dampers, tuned liquid dampers are highly effective in moderate seismic zones and wind predominant regions. Base isolation technique decouples the structure from the ground preventing the superstructure from absorbing input energy and it is effective in low to medium rise buildings in hard soil. Seismic isolation systems contribute to safety by withstanding lateral forces also. Active vibration control systems are preferred more than passive control systems when flexibility and height of the buildings is to be considered. This paper highlights the behaviour of various forms of energy dissipation devices during seismic events for real time application in structures.